Tonya Farley Purnell:
CLASS OF 1983
Lanphier High SchoolClass of 1983
Springfield, IL
Morrisonville Elementary SchoolClass of 1976
Morrisonville, IL
Bunn SchoolClass of 1976
Springfield, IL
Jane Addams Elementary SchoolClass of 1976
Springfield, IL
Morrisonville Elementary SchoolClass of 1976
Morrisonville, IL
Tonya's Story
After high school, I attended Lincoln Land Community College and Robert Morris College. My work career began in retail. Retail at the Mall, retail management and eventually retail cake decorating. Even though I enjoyed working in the public, I decide I'd like to try something outside of retail and began to work as a switchboard operator, which led me to begin my career with CSC, a worldwide million dollar company.
My husband Roger & I met in October 1993, but didn't begin to date until January 1994. We married in November 1995.
Our daughter Kaitlyn was born in 1996. I call her my miracle baby. She was the chubbiest baby, and very happy. She has the sweetest heart and she has a huge compassion for other people. She is happiest around little children and they love her. She loves sports, having played in different sports since she was 6 yrs old. She is beautiful, not only physically, but spiritually as well. It doesn't seem possible that my baby has grown up.
Star came to us as a foster child in October 2003, when she was 16 months old. We adopted Star in January 2007. We had no intention of having another child or being foster parents, but it was an emergency situation. They needed a family member to take Star immediately for placement. So, we stepped forward. I can't even imagine what our lives would be like if Star wasn't with us. (Probably a lot calmer!) Star is very independent, very bold and has no bones telling you what she thinks! She is very active, and has so much talent, but she is a spitfire. Has a temper out of this world! She is Asian American, so she has that beautiful dark skin and dark eyes. She is a beautiful child. She has come so far, since she has been with us.
I have a stepson named Matt. Matt was 10 years old when his father & I began to date. At that age, he seemed so mature for his age and for some reason, he took a liking to me. We became great friends and we had a lot of fun times together. He had an infectious giggle, and still does. Matt has grown into a great person. He is a good man. He makes his home with his beautiful girlfriend named BJ. They have given us three grandchildren.
My home is in Springfield. My husband Roger works full time in the IL Army National Guard. I work full time for CSC. The girls' activities keep us pretty busy. In addition, we volunteer at school and for Church functions.
My hobbies, when I have time for them, include (but are not limited to) scrapbooking, card making, cake decorating, reading and camping. I love being outdoors, taking the girls to the park and goi...Expand for more
ng to the movies. Unfortunately, I don't have as much time for myself as I'd like to have.
Family is extremely important to me. My older sister Sylvette was my best friend. She had been fighting a battle with breast cancer since 2006 before her passing in 2010. We would try to spend as much time as possible, talking or just being together. It was rare if we didn't talk everyday.
Full family events are important to us. We make excuses to be together. My siblings, their families, my family and our friends will gather for game nights, holidays, birthdays, whatever - any opportunity to eat food and enjoy each other's company. As children, my brother's and sister's and I were not raised together. Instead, we were raised in separate foster homes. I graduated from high school while living in a foster home. So, as adults, we have tried very hard to build that family bond, that was never developed as children, and we've been extremely successful. My late sister-in-law Debbie & I loved to plan family parties and holidays for everyone. We'd go all out, with decorations and everything, to make the events more festive. Everyone seemed to enjoy our efforts. Even though holidays are full and crowded at my house, I wouldn't trade them for anything.
I haven't traveled much, or experienced as much as I would have liked to, but I don't think my life has been suffered because of it. I am married to a good man. I've got 2 beautiful daughters and a great step son. And I've have the most beautiful, red-haired grandchildren in the world.
I think God has blessed me in many ways. Some may think I lead a boring life, but I'm content with it. I would still like to travel more, but it's not something high on my list of 'must do's'. I'd like to have more money, as I'm sure everyone else would too. And I wish I didn't have to work. I'd like to be a housewife, but that is not possible at this moment in time. I'm grateful I have a good job, considering the times we live in. I'm grateful Roger has had a successful and long career with the Guard. He was able to serve his country overseas. I'm grateful my children are very healthy. I'm grateful I have wonderful friends, who support me and that I can just be my goofy self around them. I'm grateful for all of my siblings. I'm grateful for the time we had with my sister Sylvette, before her passing. And I'm grateful that I've only lost one parent and not both. I am extremely very grateful for the few things I have in life. I'll never be finanically wealthy, but I feel I am rich in other ways.
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